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Millions of people all
over the world love and take good care of their pets as they derive much
comfort and companionship from them. Our civilisation is judged, in
part, by the way we treat our animals and it is right that we are
conscious of animal welfare.
In the USA, Europe and
Japan many people have time and means to take good care of their pets.
Famous celebrities like Brigite Bardot have been at the forefront
defending “rights” of pets. Some rich and eccentric people have even
extended their passion for pets to generosity that most of us cannot
even contemplate.
Countess Karlotta
Liebenstein (German) died in 1992 leaving £60m to an alsatian called
Gunther III. This fortune, worth £90m today, is for the benefit of
Gunther’s son called Gunther IV. Gunther IV lives in palatial splendour
served by a butler and a maid. Gunther enjoys chauffeur driven outings,
beauty treatments and dips in a custom-built pool. He dines on steak &
caviar.
Other super rich pets are
Kalu, the Chimpanzee worth £40m, and Keiko the whale worth £15m. Kalu
was the beneficiary of the will of Countess of Kenmore’s daughter,
Patricia O’Neill.
Rich pets travel first
class on airlines, stay in luxury pet hotels and frequently attend
fancy-dress parties in exotic locations. They use nothing but the best,
including expensive shampoo and Hermes scarves. They go to training
schools and “graduate”, celebrating their success in style. They have
photo and film records of their activities and pay for stage-managed
travel like Hollywood stars. They even “donate” funds to charitable
causes and will their estate to their progeny!.
We live in a democratic
and liberal society and people are free to do as they wish as long as
they do not inconvenience, harm or deprive others of their rights. In
this respect, I cannot question the inheritance of these super rich
pets. However, I wonder about the following:-
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Can these pets really
appreciate the luxury and “experience” the taste of fine Caspian
caviar and tender fillet from the best Scottish beef herds?
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Can these pets “feel” the
difference between Egyptian cotton sheets and a cotton polyester
blend from Marks & Spencer or “express” joy of the luxuriant feel of
a Hermes silk scarf?
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Who decides when and with
whom Gunther IV will mate and how is the inheritance carried
forward?
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Who decides the
disbursements of Gunther’s investments e.g. salary and expenses for
butler, maid, trainer, chef etc
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Does the State charge a
specifically higher Inheritance Tax for super rich pets? If not, why
not?
All of us are aware of
more than 2 billion people living on less than €1 a day. This half of
humanity is deprived of the basic needs of life like water, sanitation,
food and shelter. They die of hunger and preventable diseases like
diarrhoea, malaria, and tuberculosis. Almost daily we see the horrific
pictures of misery and death on our television screens. From Ethiopia to
Afghanistan, children and women suffer and die knowing that we can
help.
Currently, obesity is a
serious problem in the rich industrialised countries. We over feed our
children and then ponder over taxing confectionery, fast and fatty
foods. Cardiovascular diseases impose a heavy burden on our health
delivery system and cause many unnecessary deaths. We seem to devalue
the tradition of humility, modest consumption and self-reliance..
Is it appropriate for us
to consider taxing the super rich pets in a way that will directly help
the poor? Gunther, Kalu and Keiko would still continue to live in
luxury. They would, like the super rich in our society, pay a “pet tax”
both on income from their estate and on the value of their estate. They
would also be liable to a high inheritance tax. A part of this taxation
could be used for rescuing and housing stray pets abandoned by
irresponsible people. It would be a “win win” situation for all
concerned. |
